1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cabinets and in particular to a cabinet mountable to a ceiling or wall having shelving assembly that are downwardly extendable and retractable.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional cabinets of the type that are usually found mounted to walls have a front panel with doors that open to permit access to the interior of the cabinet. Disposed in the interior are usually a plurality of shelves starting from the lowest shelf to the highest. A disadvantage to these types of cabinets is that the accessibility to the top shelves and in particular the rear portion of the top shelves, can be difficult. Oftentimes, stools or ladders must be used to reach these shelves. Using stools and ladders not only creates the risk of falling, but may not be practical where space is limited. For a physically challenged person, such as a person confined to a wheelchair, access to the top shelves is even more difficult.
Accordingly, a need exists for a wall or ceiling mountable cabinet where all the shelves are easily accessible without the need for a ladder or stool.
An object of the present invention is to provide a wall or ceiling mountable cabinet where all the shelves are easily accessible.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a wall or ceiling mountable cabinet having shelves easily accessible to a person who is physically challenged.
The present invention accomplishes the above objects by providing a cabinet having a shelving assembly that can be extended downward when access is required and then retracted upward when access is no longer required. The cabinet includes a housing having an open bottom. Disposed within the housing is a shelving assembly having a plurality of shelves. A novel combination of a tension gas spring and telescoping drawer glides are used for mounting the shelving assembly to the housing. When items are needed from the cabinet, the shelving is pulled down until all the shelves are exposed. When access is no longer needed, a light tap to the bottom of the shelving assembly causes the tension gas spring to smoothly retract the shelving assembly back into the housing.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a downward extendable and retractable shelving system is disclosed. The system has a cabinet assembly. A support panel is coupled to a wall from which the system is to be mounted. The support panel is used for mounting the cabinet to the wall. An extendable and retractable mechanism is coupled to the cabinet and to the support panel for lowering and raising the cabinet.
The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following, more particular, description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.